That Moment When...

Haggai 1:15b-2:9

There are moments in our lives which we can recall every detail of. Where we were when it happened, who was present, and what the weather was like are just a few of the details we remember. One thing I've noticed is that the deeper the emotion of the moment, the deeper the recollection of the event.

I still remember when I received the invitation by God into ministry. I had been attending Central Union Church for a couple of years, mostly as a pew-sitter. Eventually, I volunteered to pass out bulletins to people attending service which inevitably led to my joining the church choir. I hadn't known it yet, but God was slowly nudging me onto a new path for my life.

What will stick with me for a while is when the actual day came for me to step up and volunteer to be in Youth Ministry. I vividly remember walking across the lawn to talk to our Youth Minister, while he walked towards me. As he was about to say something I humbly asked him if he needed any help with the youth. His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped a little as he replied that he was just coming to ask me the same thing. It was truly a chicken skin moment (aka goose pimple).

The records kept about the prophet Haggai within the Bible are written with exact dates. The book begins with an exact date and gives exact dates throughout. However, towards the end of the book the record-keepers switch from exact dates to "from this day" and ends with the words "on that day."

The message of Haggai is to help its readers understand that God was with us in the past, is with us now, and will be with us always. Haggai's message is given in a time when the Hebrew people were set free from their Babylonian captives and were returning to their home in Jerusalem. Upon their return they are welcomed by a city which has been destroyed, along with the temple in which their God lives.

Haggai's message comes to them in a time when the hope of restoration is what the Hebrew people need to move forward. I can only imagine their emotions as they look around and see nothing but ruin. I can only imagine the pain, hatred, and sadness the Hebrew people felt at the sight of the home of their God in ruins.

I can also imagine their hope as one of their prophets says to them to remember this day, to remember that God is still with them and promises them that they will rebuild and once again be the great people of God they were.

I'm sure that was also a chicken skin moment.